Notes / Commercial Description:
The 'oatmeal' in the name is due the 5% oatmeal in the the grist of this brew. Oats give beer a real thick mouthfeel, something definitely desirable in a stout! Black malt and roasted barley give the beer its color, and coffee-like flavors. If you like thick full-bodied & smooth stout, this beer is for you!

Package: 12oz. crowned brown heritage bottle; somewhere between a stubby and a longneck. Common date scale along side is not notched (all too common lately). No ABV information. Pleasant green label with grist mill logo.

Cost: Acquired via trade

Presentation: Shaker pint at ~50º

Appearance: A tad lighter than normal for an oatmeal stout. Admits some light, giving it a aint tea-like glow. Generated a generous, but loose cream-colored head; that resolved quickly down to a stout ring.

Smell: Nice but faint aroma, with some nice roastiness and a likable cereal note.

Mouthfeel: Starts off very creamy and reasonably full, but does sort of collapse into a more watery state. Seemingly consistent with their other beers (qv.). Interesting in that I feel similarly about some of Ithaca Brewings beers (especially the brown ale). Very silky, persistent carbonation. Very interesting in that the carbonation is so good, while the body is a bit on the weak side. Tough to rate.

Drinkability: A beer that is likely to please a wide range of people. Very smooth, easy-drinking and satisfying, but complex enough for serious beer drinkers.

Backwash: Quite an interesting beer. Labelled as a lager, you would hardly know it but for the slightly diluted body and perhaps the simple flavor profile. Still, it provides a good deal of flavor and enjoyment in a tight, refined package. A fine local choice.

Taste is a nice slow mellow stout. A gentle thumb up. A little sweet and chocolaty. It's not over the top. Nice smooth low carbonation that complements the subtle quality of this stout. I recommend it.

Goes down well with a nice dose of Paul Bley solo piano music or Pink Floyd. Take your pick.

Somewhat stinging and syrup slick on the tongue. This beer crashes into the mouth with lots of quality coffee roast flavors. It sports a nice clingy oat fullness which I love. There is an effervescent bitterness that hits in the front of the mouth on the tip of the tongue.

Overall moderately complex with good solid coffee, oat and roasted malt flavors. It looks good, smells good and tastes good as well, but that weakness of body really knocks this beer down a few notches. Perhaps this thin feeling is a result of the brewery's use of lager yeast to ferment this beer?

Millstream Colony Oatmeal Stout, from a 12 oz., short brown glass bottle, came my way thanks to BA Buckeyenation. I poured mine into a standard pint glass.

The stout poured a soda colored black. After a very vigorous pour, I still didn't get much of a head, and what I did get came and went by very quickly. The nose was s ubtle marriage of burnt malts and chocolate malts. The flavor began and danced with a malty chocolatieness with a dry finish. It was a surisingly light mouthfeel with a high amount of carbonation. The flavor saves it, and makes it a very decent oatmeal stout. This is one of the dark colored ales that I could sit and session with but not necessarily spend time amazed by its flavor.

I tried this beer for the first time on draught at the brewery, just one-and-a-half-weeks ago. As I poured the bottled version tonight, for this review, I think I'm in love all over again!

This 'stout', which the brewer actually confesses to being born of lager yeast, is an outstanding dark beer, complex in taste, wonderful to the nose, and opaque in color.

The beer poured nicely, with a dark brown head. The nose has hints of fruit (almost fig), as well as chocolate and roasted malts. The head on this brew poured vigourously, and maintained nicely down through the tasting.

The body, though not too heavy, was right on for a stout/dark lager, and had the combination of many nicely roasted malts, and a smoothness that probably comes from its namesake--oatmeal. There is also a nice bitterness to this beer, probably in the form of an American hop variety. Taken in combination with the various malts, this is one tasty beer!

The finish is nice, and the roastiness of this brew lingers here.

When I tried this beer at the brewery, I told the brewer that this reminded me of a more complex, fruity(ish) schwartzbier, with a definite American craft-brewed bent. He actually shared my sentiment, without revealing all the secrets in this beer.

Call it a stout, or call it a dark lager, Colony Oatmeal Stout is one fine beer.

The cap on the bottle states that this from their 20th year anniversary, so I may have gotten to this a little too late, since it was from 2005.

The pour was a solid black with a creamy tan head about 1 1/2" thick. Good head retention and it coated the sides of the glass each time I took a drink.

A nice roasty aroma that was a bit faint. The same goes for the taste as well. It starts off nicely, but doesn't finish well. There is a bit of an astringent taste at the end which is really the only negative for this beer.

Mouthfeel is a little thin and clean, not creamy at all. Is this due to it being a lager instead of an ale? Aside from the only negative, this is a really good beer that is very drinkable. It just isn't an outstanding beer.

A lighter stout than I expected. Nice deep roast color, with a nice tan head. I predominately tasted coco powder and the oat meal. It's not a "sweet" stout by any means. It is light, and leaves a very mild aftertaste on your tongue. I almost taste a fruitiness I can't place after I swallow. A good stout if you're looking something that isn't thick and rich feeling.

The beer is black with a nice tan head. It has a sweet and a bit roasty character to the aroma, but there isn't much else apart from that. The taste is quite different. Maybe the fact that it is aparently lagered according to the bottle? It is definitley very sweet and estery. It also has a nice bitterness to it as well. It is not as full bodied as i would have liked it to be and it has pretty good drinkablility.

This beer came as part of one of my wife's fantastic beer ofthe month club shipments. When this showed up at the office (and boy, I do enjoy getting beer and wine shipped to the office...really brightens up the day), I was really looking forward to trying some different types of beers, especially of the darker variety. The Millstream Brewing Colony Oatmeal Stout was a good representation of an oatmeal stout. Expect a lot of roasted malt and oat scents and flavor, with some coffee taste included. The color is extremely dark, not allowing a single bit of light through the glass. This beer had a distinctive aftertaste - mostly of alcohol and coffee (which in my book, is a great combo). The flavor really hits in the back of your mouth and throat, making it stick around with each sip.

Appearance - 3.5/5.0 - I really enjoyed the darkness of the beer - the head was ok, but nothing to write home about.
Scent - 3.5/5.0 - Lots of strong coffee, malt and alcohol aroma. While enjoyable, could have been blended better.
Taste - 3.5/5.0 - Strong flavor profile, with lots of coffee taste. The alcohol aftertaste lingered more than I would personally like, but it wasn't offensive.
Feel - 3.0/5.0 - The flavors stuck around longer than I would like after each sip and they weren't blended well enough for my taste.
Drinkability - 3.0/5.0 - I have a number of other oatmeal stouts that I would rather have. If offered, I would drink again, but not my first choice.

I was in Amana for three days, and visited the brewery twice.
I thought it was good, smooth and sweet with hints of chocolate and coffee, creamy ivory head that lasted until the bottom half of the glass.

I will admit that I did not try everything at Millstream and I am partial to Stouts so I stayed away from the Wheats; but I consider this to be one
of their best beers.

Pours a deep dark brown color with a light tan fluffy 1/2 inch head that dissapates quickly to nothing and no lacing.
Scent is of sweet dark roast malts, chocolate and slight coffee.
Taste follows the nose with dark sweet malts and fruits up front and a dry spicey hop and coffee finish.
Smooth as any stout I have ever had. The mouthfeel is well above average. It is creamy with appropriate carbination, the most outstanding part of this ,ah, *lager*??...
Drinkability is slightly above average also. This is a beer that I would sit and sip many. I have several and am going back for more.
A fine lagered stout. One of the best stouts I have ever had. This one easily competes with any stout from Bells.

Pours black with a long cascading effect. Has a fluffy tan head with some retention. The head sounds like it's smoldering like a fire. Many tiny bubbles line the rim of the glass.

Smells of roasted malts and cocoa powder. Has a subtle sweetness that seems to come from the malt. Leaves a crisp sensation in the nose that resembles a stream beer.

Tastes of roasted malts and charred chocolate. The sweet malt comes in at the middle and lingers. Slight bitterness at the back end with minuscule hop aroma.

The mouthfeel is very smooth, however, the body is a bit thin for a stout. This beer would greatly benefit from some viscosity. Has a nice prickly carbonation that reminds me of anchor porter. The only benefit of a thin body is excellent drinkability.

This stout is surprisingly refreshing without compromising much of the taste. It's roasty and smooth. Overall, I am fairly impressed. It's a good lighter bodied stout. I just prefer more body and creaminess.

pours an amazingly dark black--no light getting through here--with purple highlights at the very edges and a good thick dark brown head. head falls and no lacing is left, but upon first pour this beer was awesome.

smells of bitter roast and grain, chalk, dark chocolate and soy.

taste starts with a sweet milk taste (from the oats perhaps?) quickly followed by a slightly chocolate, light roasted coffee flavor that takes over. Some soy and smoky flavor comes through with the grain, then gives way to chalk and slight minerality in the finish that combines with a bit of hop flavor/bitterness. Aftertaste leaves notes of tobacco.

overall a lightly carbonated and medium bodied beer--much lighter than i expected given it's rich color. Overall easy to drink and plenty of flavor. I'd even consider eating this with some japanese food. a fine, clean stout.

Colony Oatmeal Stout pours dark brown, like any other stout, with a short-lived tan colored head. Its aroma is warm and comforting, with strong hints of coffee and chocolate. The flavor is sweet combination of caramel and chocolate. Nice. A strong coffeelike aftertaste fades quickly, earning this brew above average marks in the drinkability category. -- Overall, this is a decent stout and perhaps an excellent introduction for quaffers new to the style.

Purchased this oatmeal stout in a growler during the visit to Amana colonies. Its in a pretty large growler so theres a lot of beer there to enjoy. The brewery is a nice and fun place to visit as well.

upon opening the growler some smoke comes out. Upon pouring it gives a non-see-through creamy beige head. Its about two fingers. The head hangs around for a bit. The body is completely dark black. You cannot really see through it nor can you see bubbles rising at all because its so opaque.

The smell is pretty prominent. Its of chocolate and coffee. I pick up roasted tones. It smells rich and dark. The taste is of dark roasted malt, chocolate, coffee and a bit of hops. It has a sweet roasted aftertaste. It tastes sweet on one hand but bitter and roasted-like on the other. The mouthfeel is nice as the beer is smooth. Its not too carbonated but enough so. I am drinking this down pretty quckly.

I gave this a 4.5 overall and 4.0 for smelll taste and mouthfeel but 4.5 on appearance. Overall I really like this. I will probably not be able to drink this again until I, if, ever come back to Amana. If you come to Amana visit the colonies and visit Millstream. They have a lot of other beers for you to try also. THe place has a sample bar as well as a sitting room. You can watch the brewery there. Give this one a try next time ur in Amana Iowa or order it.

Good solid black appearance, but lacks the oily thickness of other stouts. Smells of dark chocolate. Taste is appealing with bittersweet chocolate in the front, more bitter at first and sweet afterwards, and a good maltiness in the middle. Hops are slightly present, smooth and easy down the pipe.

Pours black color with a tan head that thinned to a layer leaving little bits of lacing. Smells of roasted coffee and malt aromas. it has a roasted malty taste, burnt, bitter black coffee flavor on the finish. This beer was medium body and silky smooth. It was a perfect sessionable stout, a nice surpise here.

This is a reallly nice brew. Picked it up on a whim, poured from a 12oz bottle into the only glass my friend had in two servings.

Appearance is pitch black, standing up even to direct sunlight (I don't give out 5s that easily). The roasted smell translates directly into the smooth taste, which is just a bit sweet and chocolatey. The finish is dry and a little bit sticky.

Picked this up at the Hyvee in Mason City, IA while I was in town on business. BA shows this as 5.6% ABV, but the brewery's site shows it as 6.7% ABV.

12 oz pour into a pint glass, looks very thick & black. No head to speak of, save for a 1/8" tan ring around my glass. Definitely no light getting through this one though.

Smell is fairly heavy of black patent & roasted barley with a really sweet, pleasant aroma, similar to a milk stout. I'm really enjoying the different notes I'm picking up in this one.

Starts out tasting very sweet, I'd almost swear this had lactose added. Not cloying at all, however, just very tasty. It coats your tongue & finishes dry. One of the better medium bodied brews I've had.

Drinkability is high, I easily put down several of these before hittin' the hay. Only appropriate given the name & the label artwork.

Overall, a very enjoyable stout & one I would seek out again the next time I'm in Iowa.